Shloka 146

Devanagari script

विपुलाभि: सटाभिस्ते ह्लेषमाणा मुहुर्मुहु: । उन घोड़ोंके कंधोंपर लंबे-लंबे बाल थे। वे परिश्रमको जीत चुके थे। वे सभी अपने विशाल केसरों (गर्दनके लंबे बालों)-से सुशोभित थे और उस भयानक राक्षसका भार वहन करते हुए वे बारंबार हिनहिना रहे थे

Transliteration

vipulābhiḥ saṭābhis te hleṣamāṇā muhur muhuḥ |

Translation

Kuda-kuda itu berhias surai yang lebat dan panjang, dan berkali-kali meringkik. Di bahu mereka tumbuh rambut yang panjang; surai leher yang besar menambah gagah rupanya. Setelah menaklukkan letihnya kerja, mereka menanggung beban rākṣasa yang mengerikan itu sambil terus meringkik berulang-ulang.

Word by Word

विपुलाभिःwith large/abundant

सटाभिःmanes (neck-hair)

तेthey/those

ह्लेषमाणाःneighing

मुहुःagain and again

मुहुःrepeatedly

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

horses

rākṣasa (a dreadful demon-like being)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores how immense power and endurance can be pressed into service for terrifying ends in war. It invites reflection on the ethical ambiguity of strength: the same vitality and beauty (the splendid manes, the spirited neighing) becomes an instrument for carrying a fearsome agent of violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a war-scene detail: horses with thick manes repeatedly neigh as they bear the heavy load of a dreadful rākṣasa. The focus is on their appearance, exertion, and the ominous presence of the being they carry, heightening the battlefield’s terror and intensity.